Article via Vince Bueno, Desert Sun
The day my wife and I brought our first foster daughter home, our two oldest sons rushed around setting up the crib “just right” with her stuffed animals and “debating” who would get to hold her first.
She was 1 day old. Their adoration for this child — who wasn’t even completely ours yet — embodies the love and familial connection every child deserves.
All children need to grow up with feelings of security and belonging, but too many never have them.
On any given day in Riverside County, about 3,600 children are waiting for a permanent home, a large percentage of them having been neglected, abused or abandoned. There are not enough foster parents to share love and refuge with these children who so desperately need it.
Caring for those in need is a priority for my wife Kim and me and is a focus of our church. We didn’t realize, however, that it would become a specific calling for our whole family.
The notion of adoption sat in our hearts for a long time. After our fourth biological child was born, we considered the idea more seriously. Our entire family approached adoption with compassion, love, and the desire to help a child who needed us. Eventually we would learn how a foster child could stretch and bless us as well.
